(SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK) - Hundreds of New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA)-represented Nurses and allies held an informational picket on Tuesday (April 16th) to sound the alarm on patient care at Ellis Medicine.

Ellis Nurses were joined on the Schenectady picket line by NYSNA President Nancy Hagans and fellow capital region NYSNA Nurses from Albany Medical Center and Nathan Littauer Hospital, as well as allies from the Capital District AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation, the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union, the New York State Council of Churches, the New York State Labor Religion Coalition, the Black Nurses Coalition, New York State Assembly Member Angelo Santabarbara and Schenectady County Legislator Michelle Ostrelich.  

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said: “Hospitals should be healing wounds, not wounding our community with cuts to patient care.  We’re calling on Ellis and St. Peters not to cut care for our community.  It’s long past time for Ellis to come to the bargaining table and settle a fair contract that guarantees there are always enough Nurses at the bedside to safely care for Capital Region patients.”

While Nurses are fighting for a fair contract that prioritizes safe staffing and patient care, at the bargaining table, Ellis management is asking to make safe staffing ratios less safe, which would add to overworked Nurses’ already high patient load, Union Officials said.  

Ellis Medicine Nurse and NYSNA Central Regional Director Catherine Dawson said: “Ellis management has shown up late to every single contract bargaining session, showing they have no respect for us or for this process.  Management got upset when we said we don’t want Ellis to turn into the ‘Walmart of hospitals,’ but they want to fill our hospital floors with part-time per diem Nurses who get no benefits.  That sounds an awful lot like Walmart's business model to me.” 

Assembly Member Santabarbara said: “Schenectady patients are depending on Ellis Medicine to care for our community.  Nurses know that cuts to patient care services hurt and so do cuts to staffing.  That’s why I’m joining Nurses in calling on the hospital to do the right thing and settle a fair Union contract that protects care for Schenectady.” 

Ellis Medicine Nurses are concerned the cuts made since the merger agreement with St. Peter’s will exacerbate the chronic understaffing that is already pervasive at the hospital.

NYSNA researchers analyzed staffing data across six Units of the hospital from February to November 2023 and found that overall, day and night shifts on these units were understaffed more than 90% of the time.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: ELLIS NURSES PICKETED FOR SAFE STAFFING | New York State Nurses Association (nysna.org)

Photo Courtesy Of NYSNA’s Facebook Page.